Does hard work get you anywhere nowdays?

[missypie]

I am an attorney and working hard is very important.

Remember that hard work will advance you only in a business where you CAN advance. At our law firm, we have a hard time keeping good IT and HR people because there is really no career path for them. They can get raises, but they will never be a partner becuse they aren't attorneys...there are no real promotions that they can get.

People would be wise to really think though the jobs that they accept. (I recognize that often we take ANY job to get the $$$ in the door.) Let's say you are an accountant and you take a job at a family owned swimming pool business. You probably aren't going to ever get a share of the profits, because you aren't "family." You aren't going to ever get a promotion because there is probably just one of you. If you are ambitious, you're better off in a firm or a company with a large accounting department.

 

[cardaway]

"Working hard is not performance. Most performance appraisal results are based on SUBJECTIVE factors (opinions bosses have) that have little to do with working hard. Most bosses really lack the skills to know what good work really is.

In most places those appraisals are reviwed by senior managment and subjectivity only goes so far.

What I could agree with almost everywhere is that it's may be hard to get the opportunity to succeed without being with the right crowd. But once again, since everything is interconnected, the opportunities usually come to those who work hard and have proven themselves.

There's too much at stake for all parties involve for things to ever be completely subjective.

 

[cardaway]

Where I work, it has nothing to do with performance (or lack thereof), because we are all union. All that matters is seniority.

Which is why so many big companies (like Boeing here locally) are in BIG trouble.

But the workers at the "lazy B" love it. Too bad their union will eventually remove their job from right under their feet.

 

[experiment626mom]

I work for a large corporation. Hard work has nothing to do with it. We watch people who are total airheads get promoted on an almost daily basis. Why? Because they know how to schmooze.

 

[mickeyfan1]

I say it all depends. I know my husband works harder and knows more about his indusetry than a lot of people, he is able to get a raise once a year, but he never gets compensated for all the extra hours he has to put in traveling on his own time, writing job site reports on the weekends, etc. He does get frustrated, but he knows no other way to work. He has always given more than 100% and he always will.

Now here is something that no one has mentioned. What about the person who is very happy with where they are in their corporate life, career, or job. Maybe they are like my DH and give the extra all the time, not to get noticed, but just because they want to. When I got my first full time job, I was working with women who had done the same job for 35 and more years. They had no desire to do anything else. That has to account for a lot, because there was certainly less turn over in that office and customer service was always rated highly. I did move up, and after 25 years or so, I knew my moving up days were over, because no matter that I could work circles around my supervisor, she made sure she got all the credit for my work. At first it bothered me, but after a while I decided that it really didn't matter, I was getting good raises, and I was going to be out the door before her anyway. I was, and about 6 months later she was laid off because she was unable to find anyone to do her work, and her boss caught on. Karma, I guess.

Don't let the actions or inactions of others stress you out. You can only control your own work habits and ethics. It's easy to decide that the brown nosers and the schmoozers get all the perks and "why not me? I work harder than they do". I ti s not so easy to decide to rise above the pettiness, do your own work and have satisfaction of a job well done.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Unfortunately, hard work gets me nothing but MORE work! And as far as getting anywhere, my experience is that it's whom you know not what you know.

Had to chuckle at someone in the office recently. She was commenting on things other than pay are important in a job. True, but $$$ is still the most important! Especially as a single parent. When this person said it I thought...spoken like a true person who doesn't depend solely on HER income.

 

[TDC Nala]

I can work like crazy. In fact, I do. Of course, I don't have a whole lot of skill with people and refuse to play games. Everyone plays games, that's how they get into position to get ahead, so I've learned not to expect much. I don't mind as long as they keep paying me.

 

[chyam]

I'm waiting for q's take on this.

You and me both! and the last time I read "C"said they were a receptionist with to much time on their hands...........

 

[Disney Doll]

Well, I think hard work gets you some stuff, but often it is more a case of who you know or being able to schmooze the right people.

I also often think that the best people for the job aren't the ones who are managing the company.

 

[eeyore kelly]

You and me both! and the last time I read "C"said they were a receptionist with to much time on their hands...........

Earlier today on the Katrina Board, C said she was a man. C is supposedly not a man but a woman. Q is the man, supposedly.

I think it is a case of too many ID's and not enough brain power.

 

[disney4us2002]

I'm with Sandy - hard work begets more work. That is always the way it goes in the public welfare arena. If you are competent and friendly, great. The reward is more work is expected of you. The slackers don't keep up and it's not even expected that they will. Rather frustrating actually.

BTW, I think it's really rude to "call" people out because you believe them to have dual names. Really, if it's a problem, a mod or webmaster should take care of it.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't think that hard work usually accomplishes much of anything except to maybe improve your own self esteem. One exception: when you work for yourself. We've dealt so much with layoffs in this house that we're rather gunshy of investing too much of ourselves into working for someone else. To add to the frustration, bills and more bills seem to just pile up, usually all at once.

All you can really do is do the job to your own satisfaction and that's usually enough for the bosses to keep you around until they don't need you any more. Cynical? I guess so.

 

[vettechick99]

Does hard work get you anywhere nowdays? Nope, but showin' a little leg does. Meow!

 

['Canes Fan]

Does hard work get you anywhere nowdays? Nope, but showin' a little leg does. Meow!

and if we look at that leg, we get slapped with sexual harassment. I've learned as a federal employee that hard work gets you a bigger workload. so people spend more time working to look busy than actually working.

 

[2BigKIdz]

I really don't believe it does, I'm sure there are exceptions. Like some have posted it's more who you know, and how much *&^ you are willing to kiss to move up the ladder.

 

[Minnie824]

I agree with OP....although some hard work is needed, now a days it seems to be more who you know.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

If you want to succeed at work, three things are required: training, hard work and discipline. The opportunities to succeed exist; sometimes one has to do the hard work to uncover the opportunity, pursue the training necessary to take advantage of the opportunity and exercise the discipline needed to take hold & hang onto the opportunity. If you are lacking in any of these three areas, then you will not know success in the workplace.

 

[lecach]

I definately think its personality and who you know. Out of the 5 jobs I have had since college I got 4 of them based on who I know. I was definately qualified for all of them - but who I know got me in the door. My current job I got because my manager had left the last company and taken a job here. When a position came up she called me and told me about it and gave me a great reference.

I always do my best and get the job done. But I dont ever ask for extra work. My last 2 jobs have had days where I was very busy - but a good portion of the day was spent looking busy. The thing is I always get great reviews - the bosses are happy that I do what they ask, do it quickly and do it correctly. I COULD work harder but it wouldnt make any difference. There is no where for me to advance to here anyway.

My DH is a newspaper reporter. He is one of the best writers they have and gets lots of awards. But he's not the bosses favorite because he doesnt kiss his butt. No matter how hard he works it wont be good enough. So why bother.

 

[femail]

well, i just read all these posts and i would be unbelievably disenchanted if i didn't know that someday i will DIE and seems like i will have to like my job or find things in my job to like instead of feeling that it is "all for nothing unless someone pulls me up to where i want to be" which seems like the attitude i'm getting from this line from some of the posters, here...let me try to help..
i work for the post office (duh) and have for 7 years; lots of times the bosses make me crazy, the work load is unbelieveable, and in nebraska, we have all four seasons... hot hot hot and cold (and football, but that's another story..)
so why do i do it??
i carry dog treats... and i talk to everyone that wants to and wave at everyone, whether they want to or not, and i try to always smile at all the kids that try to keep up with my jeep...
life is too short if i was so disappointed with this line of work i would go and do something else...
i know, everybody needs a vacation to wdw!! yup!! stay 4 families to a room, split giant bags of cheerios and share all the gum you find on the floor!! it will be cheap, i promise!! and after all that bonding your home will look like a mansion (just try to figure out who gets the bathroom next..) it will be great for morale boosting.... have a great day anyway...

 

[Free4Life11]

hot hot hot and cold (and football, but that's another story..)
so why do i do it??

Tell me about it! I live about 3 blocks from Memorial Stadium...I'm not from Nebraska though so the Huskers don't mean much to me, but it is pretty fun to see all that read on game days! To some of these people, it's a religion practically!!